LBO Home Page

Saturday 4th February 2012

A small amount of action offshore due to the cold snap with 239 Wigeon, 187 Brents, 84 Pintail, 35 Teal, 18 Dunlin, 11 Shelduck, 3 Tufteds & a Red-throated Diver all heading south. A Shag perched on the wooden jetty on the point was the first for the year & 2 Long-tailed Tits were the first seen since last autumn. Also noted were 2 Sanderling near the point & at least 1 Woodcock on site.

Friday 3rd February 2012

Sub-zero with glorious sunshine. Golden Plover & Lapwing on the reserve, Rock Pipit on the point & Woodcock around the obs compound. Offshore 5 Knot south was the only sighting worth a mention. For those of you who like your Med Gulls one of the 6 in the view point car park has almost got a full hood.

Thursday 2nd February 2012

The cold wind doth blow & we shall have next to nothing ! 3 Sanderling on the shore along the riverbank & a Lapwing on the reserve were the highlights of a walk around the site. Plenty of gulls in the harbour following shipping with a few Cormorants venturing out to sea to feed were the only things noted in 40 minutes starring out into a distinctly wintry abyss. A Robin found freshly dead will be a casualty of the cold with the ground as hard as a bullet at the moment.

Wednesday 1st February 2012

After yesterdays increase in activity and a cold, biting ENE wind a bit of action was predicted for this morning. But what do we know ? Very poor offshore with a paltry 4 Brents & a Shelduck south plus 3 Red-throated Divers & a Curlew north in a couple of hours observation. Kept warm by yet more pond clearance work. 10 Snow Bunts in ye old aggregate yard the only other record of note with no one brave (or mad) enough to suggest a walk round the point ! Finally a Woodcock was flushed whilst leaving the compound mid-day and seen again along the icky ridge early pm.

Tuesday 31st January 2012

It must be getting a tad chilly somewhere as cold weather movements brought 299 Teal, 248 Brents (inc a leucistic bird), 80 Wigeon, 49 Shelduck, 21 Gadwal, 15 Pintail, 5 Mallard, 3 Tufteds, single Goldeneye, Redshank & Red-throated Diver south from 0810 to 1000hrs (followed by a couple of hours pond clearance work) then another 45 Teal, 14 Brents, 8 Golden Plover, single Shelduck & a fine first-winter Little Gull feeding just offshore in another 20 mins observations mid-day. 2 Lapwing also came in off with another calling on the reserve. Maybe it's going to get cold enough on the continent to freeze some more birds over to us in the coming days.

Monday 30th January 2012

12 Snow Buntings on the aggregate yard beach & some smelly regulars following pond clearing - although still plenty to do !

Pond

Weather permitting we will start clearing out the pond in the gun emplacement within the observatory compound Monday morning. If your willing to help please drop me a line (or if your a member please just turn up).

Sunday 29th January 2012

Decent frost this am. A pair of Mallard siting on the sea had probably been frozen out of their pond inland overnight. Sanderling & Rock Pipit at the point & Purp on groyne no.19.